Engine starter



Sept 3% 1924.

C. O. HOW/LANE ENGINE S TARTER Filed March 15 1920 Hal- 5 ffq lin INVENTOR G/arence O. Ham and Y By u A TTORNEY ?atented Sept. 38, 1924.

CLARENCE O. HOWLAND, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

THE ELECTRIC AUTO-LITE COMIPANY, OF TOLEDO,

OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ENGINE STARTER.

Application filed March 15, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE 0. How- LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine Starters, of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description. 7

This invention relates to apparatus for starting internal combustion engines which, tostart, require the application of an external force.

An object of the invention is to provide a practical, durable and inexpensive apparatus for initially rotating the crank shaft of such an engine.

Another object is to provide a starting apparatus which during normal operation of the engine, shall be disconnected therefrom but which, when operated to start the engine, shall automatically connect with a moving part thereof.

. Afurther object is to provide an apparatus of this kind including a motor driven shaft which remains disconnected from that part of the apparatus cooperating directly with the engine except during the starting operation.

Further objects of this invention relate to economies of manufacture and details of construction as will hereinafter appear from the detailed description to follow. I accomplish the objects of my invention in one instance by the devices and means described in the following specification, but it is evident that the same may be varied widely Without departing from the scope of the invention as pointed out in the appended claims. Structures constituting certain embodiments of my invention, either one of which may be the preferred, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which:

Figure I is an elevation partly in section of the starter comprising my invention. Fig. II is a similar view showinga modified form.

In the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Fig. I, an electric starting motor 5 is shown having a combined bracket and housing 6 which serves to support a bearing? for a shaft denoted as a whole by 8. This shaft 8 is shown as having an outer por- Serial No. 365,790.

tion 9 adapted to freely engage in the bearing 7 to rotate or slide longitudinally, an intermediate portion 10 of enlarged diameter having a flange 11 at one end, a portion 12 forming a bearing for the pinion 13, and at the inner end a screw threaded portion 14 of reduced diameter. The enlarged portion 10 has an annular recess 16, into which extends a buffer spring 17 adapted to engage the bearing 7 and arrest sudden outward movement of the shaft. A comparatively heavy coil spring 19 surround-s the enlarged portion 10 and has its opposite ends firmly secured to that portion and to the pinion 13 as for example by embedding its free ends into these members; A fly wheel of an internal combustion engine is shown at 20 havingteeth 21 formed on a portion of its periphery and arranged in proper alignment to be engaged by the pinion 13 when such pinion is moved axially from the position illustrated. In axial alignment with the shaft 8 is the motor shaft 25, upon which is loosely mounted a sleeve member 26, threaded to engage the screw i l and having a slot 27 within which slides a pin 28 on the motor shaft 25. The length and pitch of this slot is such that when the sleeve is rotated from the position illustrated to a position where the pin occu pies the opposite end of the slot, the sleeve will have advanced a distance sufficient to engage the screw 14:. The sleeve 26 is shown having a flange 30 for the purpose of increasing its inertia. However, in certain cases, the addition of such a sleeve may he found to be unnecessary to the proper functioning of the apparatus. The operation of the device is as follows Assuming the parts to be in the position illustrated, the closing of the motor circuit will cause the motor shaft 25, being without load, to suddently rotate in the direction of the arrow. This sudden rotation will result in the pin 28 sliding through the slot 27 to the opposite end thereof, while thesleeve 26 is caused to advance to the right into engagement wit-l1 the threaded end 14 of the shaft 8. Upon reaching the end of the slot, the pin 28 constitutes a positive. driving connection between the motor shaft and the sleeve and further rotation causes the sleeve 26 to thread on the shaft 8, which shaft, being loosely mounted in its bearing and havis normally disconnected from both the flythe coil spring 19, which spring forms a yielding driving connection between the mo- ;tor shaft and the pinion. To insure proper meshing of the gears, the ends of the teeth may be suitably beveled as is commonly done .in apparatus of this nature. The construction moreover provldes for a limited axial movement of the pinion against the spring 19 in the event that it fails to immediately .mesh with the gear. As soon as the engine starts and begins to operate under its own power, the greatly increased speed of rotation. of pinion 13 causes the shaft 8 to unscrew itself from the sleeve 26 while this sleeve also rotates to bring the pin 28 at the opposite end of the slot or to the position at which the starting operation was begun. The inertia of the rapidly rotating pinion will be sufficient to cause the shaft 8 to completely disconnect itself from the sleeve 26 and assume the position illustrated in Fig. I, its return movement being cushioned by the buffer spring 17 The structure of the modified form illustrated in Fig. II is similar to that of Fig. I but, in this case, the shaft 8 is provided 'Wlllll a threaded socket 35 extending into the bearing portion 12. The sleeve 26 engages the motor shaft in the same manner as before but instead of being internally threaded, is provided with an externally threaded extension or member 36 which, when the motor is started, moves to the right and engages the threaded opening 35 in the shaft 8'.

The operation of this modified form being similar in all respects to that of the form already described, a detailed description of the same is deemed unnecessary and will therefor be omitted.

i It will thus be seen that I have provided an engine starting apparatus which is e11- tirely automatic in its operation requiring only the closing of the motor circuit and in which the pinion for engaging the fly-wheel wheel and from the motor shaft and supported from an external bearing.

Inasmuch as the invention herein disclosed is susceptible of various other embodiments and as various changes might be made in the embodiment set forth, it is to be understood that all matter described above or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative only, and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I. claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 2- 1. In an engine starting mechanism the combination of a rotatable engine member, driving means therefor normally detached from said member, a drive shaft normally detached from said driving means and in axial alignment therewith and means constructed to be moved into engagement with said driving meansby the initial rotation of said shaft to transmit a driving torque from said shaft to said driving means.

2. In an engine starting mechanism, the combination-of a rotatable engine member, a motor driven shaft, a screw threaded driving means for said engine member, a. screw threaded member mounted on the end of said shaft adapted to engage said screw threaded driving means, and means for cansing said screw threaded member to move into engagement \Vllth said driving means upon initial rotation of said shaft.

In an engne starting mechanism, the combination of a rotatable engine member, a driving shaft, driving means for said engine member normally disconnected from and in axial alignment with said shaft and from said engine member, said shaft having means adapted to move longitudinally upon initial rotation to engage said driving means, said shaft means and said driving means having cooperating parts to cause said driving means to move axially into engagement with said engine member upon continued rotatlon of said motor shaft.

4. In an engine starting mechanism, the

combination of a rotatable engine member, a'

into engagement with said driving means upon sudden rotation of said motor shaft.

5. In an engine starting mechanism, the combination of a rotatable engine member, a driving mechanism therefor, mounted to be moved into and out'ofoperative connection with said engine member, a motor driven shaft, an inertia member mounted on said shaft, means connecting said inertia member and shaft for causing the former to advance toward said driving mechanism when said shaft is suddenly rotated, said inertia member and said driving mechanism having cooperating screw threaded portions normally disconnected but adapted to engage each other when the motor shaft is rotated. 6. In an engine starting mechanism, th combination of a rotatable engine member having teeth on its periphery, an electric moother, the construction being such that upon 10 tor for starting said engine having a bracket sudden rotation of said motor shaft, the forming a bearing, a shaft mounted in said sleeve is caused to move axially into engagebearing, a pinion carried by said shaft, a ment with, and to thread upon the pinion sleeve mounted on the shaft of said motor shaft to move the pinion into mesh with and having a pin and slot connection thereteeth on the engine member to start the en- 15 with, said sleeve and said shaft being in gine.

axial alignment and having screw threaded In testimony whereof, I affix my signature. portions normally disconnected from each CLARENCE O. HOVVLAND. 

